FLORENCE, SC – Senior Shelbi Meek registered five of her career-high equaling 10 kills as Francis Marion University rally from a seven-point deficit in the fourth set to claim a 20-25, 26-24, 26-24, 27-25 marathon victory over Southern Wesleyan University, Tuesday evening (Sept. 19) in non-conference women's volleyball action.

Francis Marion improves to 4-6 overall and remains unbeaten at home (3-0) under first-year head coach Lauren Baufield.  FMU will return to Peach Belt Conference play on Friday night when the Patriots entertain Georgia College at 7 p.m. as part of Volleyball Alumni Weekend.

Meek recorded five of her kills after FMU fell behind 15-8 in set four and it looked as through the match would go to a fifth set.  Kills from freshman Kayla Arthur and two by Meek, all on sets from junior setter Carrie McGinnis, erased a 25-24 SWU advantage at the end of the fourth set.

Arthur led the Patriots with a career-high 17 kills, while junior Georgia Garrison added 14, and sophomore Lenee' Blot a career-high 13 kills.  Garrison posted her third consecutive double-double as she dug up 21 balls, while Arthur served four aces and Blot had three blocks.

McGinnis registered a season-high 52 assists, only four off her career high, while sophomore libero Natalie Vaughn set a career-high with 30 digs.  Both McGinnis and senior Erika Hartings had 14 digs apiece.

Senior Paige O'Connor led the Warriors (7-5) with 19 kills, while junior setter Annika Jones tallied 39 assists and 14 digs.

The two-hour-and-12-minute match featured 37 ties and 14 lead changes.

After dropping the opening set, Francis Marion charged to a 6-1 advantage in set two.  However, SWU rallied to take a 24-23 lead before a kill by Blot and two attacking errors by the Warriors allowed FMU to even the match heading to the intermission.  Kills from Meek and Blot snapped a 24-24 deadlock at the end of the third set.

Francis Marion Univ. def. Southern Wesleyan U. 20-25,26-24,26-24,27-25

Southern Wesleyan U. (7-5) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Paige O'Connor 19-3-3; Kendall Vallancourt 9-0-6;
Olivia Johnson 5-0-0; Shelby Sheets 4-1-1; Annika Jones 4-1-1; Katie Anderson 3-0-1; Davis
Hendricks 1-0-1; Liz Kuntz 1-0-4; Katlyn Von Ins 0-2-0; Courtney Price 0-0-1; Totals 46-7-12.0.
(Assists) - Annika Jones 39. (Dig leaders) - Shelby Sheets 23; Anna Hughey 19; Katie Anderson
18; Annika Jones 14

Francis Marion Univ. (4-6) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Kayla Arthur 17-4-1; Georgia Garrison 14-0-2; Lenee'
Blot 13-2-3; Shelbi Meek 10-1-1; Erika Hartings 6-0-0; Veronica Lane 2-0-2; Carrie McGinnis 0-0-1;
Natalie Vaughn 0-2-0; Totals 62-9-5.0. (Assists) - Carrie McGinnis 52. (Dig
leaders) - Natalie Vaughn 30; Georgia Garrison 21; Erika Hartings 14; Carrie McGinnis 14

Site: Florence, SC (Smith Univ. Center)
Date: Sep 19, 2017   Attend: 216   Time: 2:12   
Referees: Tab Watson, Glenn Goudy
Line judges: Jaimie Varney, Chelsea Welty
Liberos: Vaughn (FMU), Anderson, Von Ins (SWU)